Bergmannsheil Buer Clinic,
Gelsenkirchen, Germany

It’s impressivethe extent to

which the right light can change the atmosphere for the better is amazing”

Customer challenge

When the Bergmannsheil Buer Clinic opened a new 31-bed ward, it sought to make the atmosphere less like a hospital and more like a hotel. The Philips team was ready to help, but creating a pleasant, decorative ambience was only half the challenge. High standards for hygiene and technology had to be met, and the clinic needed outstanding energy efficiency and a quick payback on the investment.

The right lighting

The Bergmannsheil Buer Clinic in Gelsenkirchen is a maximum-care hospital providing top treatment to 20,000 inpatients a year. As part of a pilot project, managers were looking for ways to make a new ward less sterile and impersonal, with warm and decorative lighting that could be controlled by the patient.

LED lighting was just what the doctor ordered. In patient rooms, decorative LED bands that emit indirect light were placed around the wooden head boards, with an integrated reading lamp that makes it easy for patients to enjoy books and magazines. DayZone replaced the conventional fixtures for general lighting in the rooms, delivering pleasant, uniformed, glare-free light with a decorative corona effect on the ceiling. In the corridors, practical yet attractive lighting was achieved with recessed StyliD Mini spotlights and LuxSpace Mini downlights. This was complemented by colored cove lighting accentuating the door areas.

The new light systems are controlled by dynamic touch display controls, which enable staff to regulate the light color and create ambiance with pre- programmed settings. Patients, staff and managers are like are delighted with the results. The comfortable, healing ambience helps patients recuperate, while creating an enjoyable atmosphere for clinic employees. Medical care has never felt so friendly.

“The modern LEDs mean we have superb lighting quality in terms of color reproduction, glare reduction and visual comfort. We’re also saving a lot of energy on the ward, and the long service life means that maintenance costs are lower. So we’ve achieved the very best result possible in every respect.”